TMF

Remember that the word "Soldier" is always capitalized and Marines do NOT like to be referred to as such. Sorry, habit.

I was thinking coconut delivered from a European swallow.... or African swallow... can't remember which can handle the weight....

Especially since the profession he is pronouncing wrong refers to non-Marines.

A platoon of Marines would have absolutely ended this once it was clear things were getting out of hand. The small US security detail was is flight/protection mode when it got to that point. A platoon of Marines would certainly have changed the mode of operation to regain the initiative once it got to that point. Every good grunt in the Marine Corps is looking for any good reason to use his weapon against his enemy. That is why Marines exist. They know this. Obama does not know this.

I wasn't there, but I shouldn't assume that honking my horn will get me choked. I honk my horn all the time. If that is a chokable offense, then certainly the offense of choking is a shootable offense. Anyway, doesn't sound like a great loss to society. The guy made a concious decision to choke another person and make them fear for their lives. The reasonable response to that is getting shot. I don't understand why this even went to trial.

SEALs don't get the funding they do for being quiet.

Serious question now: do you know how tax deductions work? You know that he isn't getting that money back, right? According to FACT, which would be the undeniable fact of his tax return, He made 13 1/2 million last year, mostly on investments. Although he donated 4 million of that to charity, he only claimed 2.25 million of those donations on his tax return, because claiming the full amount would have lowered his taxable income to the point that he would be paying less than 14% on his overall income. Since he didn't want to screw the government out of their money, he decided not to claim the remaining $1.75 million, which meant that he paid even more taxes than he had to... approx 2 million. So, in summary, Romney made about 13 1/2 million last year, paid the government $2 million and charity $4 milllion. That is almost 50% of his income. Whether it goes to the government or charity, he still didn't keep it, so I ask again, what is the problem other than your own envy? Perhaps your problem is that you feel as if charity shouldn't be tax deductible, and that he still should have paid the government around 4 million rather than the 2 million he paid in. Okay. I'll buy that logic. But if that is your logic then your problem resides in the tax code, which we should all be able to agree needs to be fixed. Last time I checked Romney wasn't running the IRS, so your hate is misplaced. Or maybe you just think that $7 million in take home is still too much for someone that earned $13 million. If you think that, then you have finally had an honest moment with yourself and should be able to see that your problem is your envy of those that make more than you. If that is how you see the world and cast your vote, then you have deep personal problems that only you can solve; not the President, not your employer, not your educational institution... just you. EDIT: I donated about 1% of my income last year. Granted, I have two children and a wife to support, along with a mortgage, umpteen different insurance policies, student loans and home renovations, but if I made twice the income chances are I still wouldn't have donated more than 1%, as I'm sure I would have found other places to put that money. I'm ready to admit that Romney is a better man than I if he is so willing to donate almost $2 million and not even claim it on his return. But then again, money doesn't motivate me to dislike people; I prefer the content of their character. There are plenty of people that don't make squat that wouldn't make their way on the spectrum of decent human beings.

I have been known to drive into town then realize I forgot what I left the house to do. How come women don't have this problem? My wife can remember intimate details from a conversation that took place years ago, and I forget my own birthday. It can't be that I'm getting older, its always been this way.

I could write a book about how jacked up the budget system works. The irony that Fraud, Waste and Abuse investigations will leave no stone unturned after reports of office supplies being used for FRG purposes, but there is no emphasis on burning 1/2 mil in ammo just so we don't get screwed on the budget next year. I didn't believe in it, and I wish I didn't have to be a part of it. At least on occassion I was able to drive around the back 40 and exchange ammo for brass to the units that actually needed it, which is of itself more illegal than if I just took all the ammo and spendex'd it myself, even though this ammo would go to another unit that is actually training.

Well, I got egg on my face then. For years I had been the voice that prevented spendex's with M4's, since I was concerned about shooting out the barrels. I've seen it a lot on days where there ends up being a few cases more than what was needed, and we gotta dump the ammo so it gets used or face beatings. This results in folks loading up a bunch of mags and dumping on FA.... I'm not talking about one or two mags, I'm talking about a couple dozen. I've always prevented my guys from doing that 'cause I'm worried about heating it up and damaging the rifling, as I was taught. Guess I was wrong. Right before I got out I started seeing the round counters on issued rifles. Thought it was pretty neat. I don't know if that is the new norm or not. I also don't know what kind of decision that drives, because they get inspected once yearly regardless. We had the sooper dooper heavy barrels, not the lightweight ones with the short life on them.

Considering he gave more in taxes and charity then he would had he paid nothing to charity at all, I don't see how that equation works. Furthermore, I and plenty of other people here have put folks in the unemployment line. So what? I wasn't aware that business had a responsibility to bankrupt themselves rather than shuck overhead. Maybe if some companies followed that model they wouldn't be going to the government for a handout. Any business man has fired/laid off people before. The higher you go up, the higher that number gets. That number will go higher still as our government cripples business and tries to make things "fair". This is, like I assumed, all about envy. God forbid I ever run for office and have a nicer car, bigger house or hotter wife. Clearly it's because I'm an ahole.

Coming from and unrated seller? I don't think so. Anyone that shoots this guy 17K with the expectation that this item actually exists is gonna get screwed. The fact that there are multiple spelling and grammar errors in the ad tells me this isn't the kind of guy who earns the cheese to have $20,000 tied up in a pistol.

Well he donated 33% of his earned income last year to charity, which is more than I can say. I'm not going to hate a man because he makes more money than me, nor am I going to judge every business decision that resulted in screwing someone over. In the business world it happens; a lot. Business is not charity, nor does it need to be. This is why places like California and Michigan are bankrupt. I just have a hard time believing that it isn't envy when folks bring up how much he earns. I don't think it matters at all. Every politician with a seat in DC is wealthy and out of touch with the middle class. How silly to focus in Romney as if this is something new; it isn't.

Well, I think this is less related to "boogeyman" and more related to one moron taking too many stoopid pills that day. There are enough stupid people stealing our oxygen to support that theory.

Haha!

I wasn't aware there was a candidate that earned in the 5 figure range last year. 14 million or 140 million. What does it matter? I'm leaving my envy at the door when I vote.

So, it's a crime to let your kids play without supervision? I get that it is the discretion of the officer, but if the officer is a mouth breathing inbred there should be some kind of recourse here. At a time when PDs are suffering budget cuts all across the country, I don't see how harassing everyday folks and opening themselves up to litigation is very bright. Even if she doesn't win anything, it still is gonna cost the department money and give them a black eye. Hopefully they fired this half wit and replaced him with a grown up. Clearly the officer here is the one that needed adult supervision.

I don't read books like this, but I can't assume there is anything in that book which could possibly do more damage than what was done by the administration when they released all the intimate details. The Paki doctor being outed did more damage to strategic level source operations than any other leak in history. At least when Plame was offered up it was politically motivated. This will prevent future operations like this. Remember, we've had a $25 mil reward on UBL for a long time, and no one turned him in. This is why. Because we sell off our sources for political gain, and you can't spend $25 mil if you're rotting in a Paki prison or having your head cut off in a YouTube video. My personal feelings on it are mixed. I feel as if the man is profiteering, since he is selling his first hand account. It is the norm these days, but I would have strong reservations about it. Mostly I would feel as if it was a dick move to the other guys I worked with. On the other hand, there is historical significance to the story, and what better source of information than a guy that was on the hit? Probably the most classy way to handle it would be to donate the proceeds to a good cause, which it appears that is what he did. I guess I don't have a problem with him keeping a big chunk of change, because there is no way he is going to get work in the community after writing the book, IMO.

Profound.

Nice.

Obama promised that if we give 4 more years for his economic policies to take effect everything will be better! He promised! So in four years my IRA should have made quite the forward progress, I'll be able to own my own business without fear of economic collapse, and I might even have my home paid off! Sounds pretty rosy to me!!! I'm voting for Romney, but even if Obama wins it sounds like I can't lose! This is the best Presidential election ever!!! U S A! U S A! U S A!

I've always been under the assumption that MG barrels wear out their rifling faster from getting heated up and shot out. I always figured that applied to the rilfing in M4's being shot out quicker when burning rounds through it hot, like FA on a spendex.

In this economy they should have no problem finding bodies to make their business run more efficiently. When a company grows their manufacturing and customer base, so should their workforce grow. Not doing so leads to all the problems folks are bringing up, which is what torpedoes a business. As we've seen locally, if you aren't getting repeat customers your business will go under, even in a time where gun sales are through the roof.

I stopped using the FA after I left basic, where I was instructed to hit that stupid thing on the M16 every time I loaded it or did immediate action. Since basic training I've fired somewhere in the realm of 1/4 to 1/2 million rounds from just a couple of M4s, and have never used the FA unless doing a chamber check, which you could simply push the BCG manually with your thumb through the ejection port and it will go into battery. As for the dust cover, I've experienced just about every torture test one can think of with my M4, and have determined that the dust cover is not necessary. Yes, in arid, dusty environments the ARs are notorious for malfunctioning. After the whole Jessica Lynch fiasco, where the investigation revealed that nearly every member of that unit had malfunctioning rifles, I decided to try and replicate the failures. Unlike AKs, ARs need lube in the desert. It's always good to lube your stuff anyway, but your AR will work just fine without it for quite a few rounds before it begins to fail. When you introduce fine dust to that equation it can cause it to malfunction. So the solution? Keep it lubed. You really don't even need to keep it clean so long as there is lube on it. The next issue is the type of lube used. Unfortunately, many folks in the Army have been institutionalized to the point that they believe that the IET manual, FM 7-8 and the Ranger Handbook hold all the information necessary to being a grunt. Unfortunately, if you want to think outside of the box you have to figure out how the crap got into the box in the first place. Generally speaking, the only lubricant folks in the Army acquire for their rifles is CLP, which has a very thick viscosity. This is great for humid environments, like the jungle for example. However, when you get in an environment where the sand/dust is so fine that when you inhale through your nose you can taste it in your mouth and feel it in your teeth, you have to adjust your lubricant. If using a thick viscosity lubricant like CLP, the dust will "gum" up as it bonds with the CLP, and actually cause the weapon to malfunction with enough dust. The only answer in the field would be to continuously clean the rifle or flush it with more CLP and keep the dust cover closed. The simple answer is to use a thinner viscosity lubricant (thin as WD-40). We had some nifty stuff called "Strike Hold" which was awesome for the desert. Unfortunately, there were more carcinogens in a can of that stuff than in a truck of Marlboro Reds, so it was discontinued and we ended up getting "Strike Hold II", which was almost as thick as CLP. I just went with a thin viscosity Break Free and it was fine. This will keep the dust from bonding and coagulating in your rifle. CLP/dust gum can get bad enough to stop a .50. I've seen it happen more than once. I've also had my rilfe sugar cookied with dust, sand, hay, plaster, mud and probably cow poo, all with the dust cover open, and was able to fire it just fine, repeatedly for several mags. The take away from that is to go light when it's dry, and go heavy when it's wet, "so to speak" (as they say in the Air Force). Words to live by. Out of all the rounds I've fired in austere environments, the only time I had a malfunction was due to the magazine or the bolt breaking. Other than that, the only malfunctions I've had on my M4 were malfunctions which I created. So what I'm saying is a dust cover is not necessary if you maintain your rifle properly and give it the correct care for the environment it is in, and that amounts to giving it lube in the proper form and amounts if you're going to subject it to certain tortures.

I hate to be the naysayer, but places like this actually exist all over. I've even been to one outside DC a few times that caters to the pol types and has a very, very upscale bar less than 100 ft from their ranges. No one has been shot there, and no one has been on the range shooting drunk. Not a big deal so long as the operators of the facility are responsible. To put it in perspective, what is to keep someone from nailing back beers before going to any of the local ranges you frequent? Think it doesn't happen? Oh yes it does. EDIT: It is also is a cigar bar, so yes, it is the absolute ATF model. It also happens to be just down the road from ATF headquarters. How the world hasn't spun off its axis in the years after its opening, I dunno.